DISCOVER JAPAN

Saturday, September 27 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Narita International Airport. Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Sunday, September 28 (Day 02)
ARRIVE NARITA - TOKYO (D)
We’ll arrive Narita Airport in the early afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo to spend the next two nights. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
 

Monday, September 29 (Day 03)
TOKYO (B)(L)
This morning we’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city. We’ll visit Sensoji - also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple built for the goddess of Kannon. Enjoy strolling through Nakamise-dori - a shopping street with many shops offering typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks located adjacent to the temple. Enjoy a tour of We’ll drive by Ginza, a world-renowned entertainment and shopping district and enjoy shopping at Ameyokocho, a busy wholesale district selling a variety of food products and various merchandise at discounted prices. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants in the shopping mall adjacent to our hotel.
 

Tuesday, September 30 (Day 04)
TOKYO - MT. FUJI - HAKONE (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the “go-go-me” (Fifth Station) on Mt. Fuji - Japan’s most familiar symbol - to enjoy a fantastic view of this majestic mountain and the surrounding valleys. (weather permitting). On a clear day, the view is like a breathtaking picture-postcard. Mt. Fuji, also known as Fuji-san, is surrounded by the Fuji Five Lakes and is part of the scenic beauty of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. We’ll travel to Hakone, a region famous for its hot springs and natural beauty. Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on Ashino-ko, a mountain lake also known as Lake Hakone with the reflection of the slopes of Mt. Fuji glimmering on the water. (weather permitting) Enjoy dinner and relax in our onsen hotel this evening.
 

Wednesday, October 1 (Day 05)
HAKONE - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)(D)
This morning we’ll make a photo stop to view the Shiraito-no-taki (White Thread Waterfalls) -a beautiful waterfall with small streams trickling in a large arch from the rocks between the main flows, creating a vast white cascade. We’ll continue our drive along the Pacific Coast through Shizuoka Prefecture, the largest tea producing region in Japan. The most noted history of this area is that it was once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu. The scenery of Shizuoka prefecture provides a view of the Southern Alps, a breathtaking view of Fuji-san and miles of scenic coastline along Suruga Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We’ll travel on to the castle town of Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city and the capital of Aichi prefecture to spend the night. The people from Nagoya are famed for their displays of wealth, outrageously lavish weddings and love of pachinko (Japanese pinball). Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
 

Thursday, October 2 (Day 06)
NAGOYA - SHINKANSEN - KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
This morning, enjoy a stroll through the ichiba - an interesting street morning market located on the back streets of our hotel with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of fresh and dried food products and other merchandise. We’ll travel to Toyota City to enjoy a guided tour of the Toyota Car Factory. Observe the fascinating process of automobile manufacturing as we watch workers assemble components to new cars on a moving assembly line. We’ll return to the Nagoya Train Station and board the ‘shinkansen’ (bullet train) to Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital. A delicious bento will be provided for you to enjoy on board the train. On arrival at the Kyoto Station, we’ll transfer to our hotel to check in for the next three nights. This rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure to browse through the souvenir shops at the train station located near the hotel. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
 

Friday, October 3 (Day 07)
KYOTO (B)
Today we’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing of this traditional city, visiting “Nijo-jo”, a castle built as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. One of the most striking features of this castle are the “nightingale floors”. To protect the occupants from intruders, the builders constructed the floors of the corridors of Ninomaru Palace to squeak like birds when anyone walks on them. Enjoy a stroll through Ninomaru Garden located adjacent to the palace featuring groves of cherry and ume trees. We’ll make a stop at the Nishijin Textile Center - famous for weaving the superb Nishijin silk fabric. A large selection of silk related products are on display and available for purchase. Time permitting, we may have an opportunity to enjoy an elegant kimono fashion show with beautiful ladies modeling some of the most fashionable kimonos. We’ll enjoy browsing through the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a five story facility offering a wide selection of Japanese souvenirs, handicrafts, kimonos, works of art and more. Dinner will be on your own tonight to try some of the Kyoto style cuisine at one of the local restaurants in the city or at the train station.
 

Saturday, October 4 (Day 08)
KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to Nara, an ancient city located at the northern end of the Yamato plain, a fertile valley where members of the Yamato clan rose to power as the original emperors of Japan. We’ll visit the Todai-ji Temple Complex, a magnificent Buddhist Temple in Nara Koen, a park that is home for many sacred deer roaming freely about. The Daibutusu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha) is considered the largest wooden structure in the world and home to the “Daibutsu” - an enormous bronze statue of Buddha, perhaps the most famous sight in Nara. Within the hall is a large wooden pillar with a hole at its base, and local tradition has said that those who pass through the opening will find their way to an afterlife paradise. We’ll also visit Kasuga Shrine, designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site with hundreds of stone lanterns lined along the approach way to the shrine. In the afternoon, we’ll return to the city of Kyoto to visit Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a magnificent golden structure sitting on a lake providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening.
 

Sunday, October 5 (Day 09)
KYOTO - KANSAI TO HONOLULU (B)
After breakfast, you’ll have some free time for your own activities until our departure for the Kansai International Airport in the afternoon. Our evening flight home will arrive Honolulu on the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline. A meal will be served on board the flight.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers. Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or under. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 01/01/08. Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare and government tax increase, additional fuel surcharges and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency. In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.